2LT International News

WASHINGTON, D.C.: This week, Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said that while cases in hotspots Argentina and Brazil seem to have stabilized, total cases of dengue fever have created an “emergency situation” in the Americas.

PAHO, a United Nations agency, said that this year, there have been more than 5.2 million confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne viral disease across the Americas, a 48 percent rise from the 3.5 million cases reported late last month.

More than 1,800 people have been killed by dengue, up from around 1,000 deaths reported last month in the year through March.

“We have an emergency situation,” Barbosa said, adding that Argentina and Brazil, the countries so far hit the hardest in the current outbreak, “still have a very strong transmission.”

He further added, “In recent weeks, there seems to be a stabilization or even a reduction” in the countries’ cases. However, he warned that supplies of an existing dengue vaccine are “very limited,” and even widespread vaccination would not have an immediate effect on the ongoing outbreak.

“The dengue vaccine can play an important role in reducing severe cases of deaths, but it will take time until the effects of the vaccine can be reflected in the decrease in dengue cases,” Barbosa said.

While symptoms usually include fever, headaches, vomiting, skin rashes, as well as muscle and joint pain, in some cases, dengue can cause a more severe hemorrhagic fever that could result in death.